Life-boat.



J. PLBVA.

LIFE BOAT.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 1111.2, 1914.

1,096,192. Patented May 12, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

cDLiJMBlA PLANounAPH C0..WASH|NGTDN, D. c.

onrrnn STATES :PATENT cueros.

JOHN PLEVA, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

LIFE-BOAT.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May12, 1914.

Application led January 2, 1914. Serial No. 809,924. 'v

tom of a boat to render the same stabilized at all times.

A further object of the invent-ion is to provide a life boat with a stabilizing plate suspended from the bot-tom thereof and providing the plate with a plurality of valves opening in opposite directions upon opposite sides of the center line thereof.

still further object of t-he invention is to provide a life boat with adjustable bars or rods to be extended laterally thereof, constituting hand holds or grips for persons entering the boat.

IVith the above and other objects in view which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and then claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings by like characters throughout the several views and wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a life boat embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. cross sectional view taken on the line X-X of Fig. 1, illustrating the manner of attaching my invention to a boat. Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the stabilizing plate detached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the modification of the stabilizing plate, and Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the boat with a cover attached thereto.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates a life boat of usual construction provided with the bottom 11 and side seats 12. Each end of the boat has mounted upon the gunwale thereof suitable standards 13 to support a sheave 14, the sheave being operated by suit able crank handles 15. Secured as at 1G to the gunwales of the boat 10 midway of the same are a pair of arms 17 suitably Fig. 3 is a i curved to have their meeting ends 18 lie directly beneath the central line of the boat 10. The upper ends of the arms 17 are provided with angular bends as at 19, said bends contacting the gunwales of the boat to prevent all undue movement thereof.l

Suspension legs 20 terminate at their upper ends as at 21 in an eye, which'eye is adapted to be received between the meeting ends 18 of the arms 17 and be held in such position by the pin 22. The legs 20 are spread apart at the lower ends and are suitably connected to the plate 23. This plate is preferably hinged at its center line as at 24.

Each side of the plate is provided with a plurality of openings adapted to be closed by valves 25, preferably as shown of the flap valve type. It is to be noted that the flap valves 25 on one side of the central line 24 open in thel oppositeV direction to the valves on the other side of said plate. Suspended beneath the plate 23 by 'a link or other suitable fastening means as at 26 is a weight 27 which weight tends to keep the plate 23 in a line directly beneath the pivot 18. The legs 2O are provided intermediate their ends with suitable eyes 20 and con-- nected to said eyes 20 carried by said legs are the chains 41 which extend upwardly and pass over and are secured to the sheaves 14. Mounted upon the gunwales intermediate the arms 17 and both ends of the boatk are the clamps 28 and to be received within said clamps 28 are the adjustable bars 29, which bars are further held in adjusted position by the clamps 30 carried thereby.

A modified form of the plate and its suspension means is shown in Fig. 5 and comprises the flat plate 31 weighted as at 32 and provided with a plurality of flap valves 33 opening in opposite directions as described in connection with the form shown in Fig. 4. In lieu of the supporting legs 20 above described the plate 31 in this instance is supported at each corner by the chains 84, which chains are brought together at a point directly above the center ofthe plate 31 and connected to a single chain 35 which constitutes t-he suspension device carried by the boat.

My invention is particularly adaptable to small boats such as life boats which many times encounter high and rough seas and with this object in view my invention aims to render the boat substantially stable at all times. lt will be noted that the legs Q0 shown in Figs. 1 and 3 permit a slight swinging movement both forwardly and rearwardly but no lateral movement is permitted owing to the eye connection 2l with the lower ends i8 of the arms 17. Should the boat l0 have any tendency at all to roch or roll, the same will be retarded by the plate j), Then one end oit' the plate 23 is elevated or swings on its pivot 22, the end of the plate descending will have a practically free movement by the valves on said side opening, while the valves upon the other side of said plate will remain closed and retard the upward movement thereof.

` Should either of the chains stl become slaclt,

the eight 2l will tend to centralize or dispose the plate 23 directlyT beneath the pivot Should it be desired to extend the arms 2S), the clamps 28 and C30 are loosened to permit the said arms to move laterally of the boat and in this position. the arms may constitute either hand holds or a means to prevent the boat l() from colliding` with another vessel.

The boat l() shown in Fig. G has the hand holds i5 projecting laterally therefrom, at a point below the gunwales and carried by said 1 boat is a collapsible cover 46 suitably supported at the longitudinal pivot point 47,

The cover -lG may be utilized in inclenemt oi' stormy Weather.

lVhile I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not Wish to confine myself thereto, as various forms, inodiications and arrangements of the parts as shown may be had Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim l. In a life boat, suspension means carried thereby, a. plate connected to the lower end ot said suspension means, said plate provided With openings upon each'side ot the center line thereof, flap valves for closing said openings, the valves upon one side oi the center line opening in opposition to the valves upon the other side and a weight suspended from said plate,

Q. The combination with a life boat provided with lateral adjustable arms, of a suspension device carried by said boat and a weighted and valved stabilizing plate connected to the suspension device.

ln testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tivo Witnesses.

JOHN PLEVA. lVitnesses EUGENE Csnnmn, JOHN H. BROEMEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

